Hey did poorly on the second goal, drifting way behind his line to keep the man onside. And he wasn't great on the fourth goal, either - he and the other defender couldn't seem to decide who should take Rossi, and in the end neither did.

Villarreal took a giant step toward the UEFA Europa League semifinals with a sound thumping of FC Twente in the first leg of their quarterfinal series at Estadio El Madrigal on Thursday. Nilmar scored twice, and Giuseppe Rossi added a beautiful strike in the second half to put Oguchi Onyewu ...

It is that time again. Time for all you SBI readers to take part in our annual SBI Reader Roll Call, a reader survey we use to help identify our demographics for advertisers and to see what areas of the sport we should be trying to cover more. Thanks to you, the SBI readers, our third year in...

Photo by ISIphotos.com There are few things that stir the imagination of soccer fans more than the rise of a promising young prospect, and no young player in Major League Soccer is stirring emotions like Andy Najar. The D.C. United academy product has become the subject of various reports f...

By now you've surely heard that an octopus is the greatest gambling tool in the world. A day before the third-place match and two days before the World Cup final, Paul the Octopus has made his selections. It's unclear if he can change his mind between now and the first kick. Here are Paul's pick...

photo by John Dorton/ISIphotos.com Sacha Kljestan is finally headed to Europe. According to RSC Anderlecht's official site, Kljestan has signed with the Belgian League champions on a four-year deal. The 24-year-old Kljestan has already passed all his medical tests and will be presented to t...

photo by John Dorton/ISIphotos.com Sacha Kljestan is finally headed to Europe. According to RSC Anderlecht's official site, Kljestan has signed with the Belgian League champions on a four-year deal. The 24-year-old Kljestan has already passed all his medical tests and will be presented to t...

I like that this isn't crest-shaped. If you're founding a team in 1904, then sure: crest, lion, sword, etc. But in 2010, sometimes trying for a "classic" look can be a kind of lame attempt to create the illusion of history where there is none. Better to do something original.

The Vancouver Whitecaps unveiled the logo they will enter MLS with in 2011 and here it is. Fellow expansion club Portland Timbers are set to unveil their new logo on Saturday as part of the halftime festivities during a public viewing party of England-United States in downtown Portland. Wha...

When you grow up in Las Vegas it is only natural that you pick up some card tricks, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that U.S. World Cup prospect Herculez Gomez would whip out some tricks during the U.S. team's train ride from Princeton to Hartford. Here is Gomez showing off the magic ski...

Photo by Michael Stephens/ISIphotos.com BY ADAM SERRANO Another match, another shut out for the Los Angeles Galaxy. A memorable performance by Josh Saunders and a late goal by Tristan Bowen were the difference on Sunday night as the Galaxy defeated Argentine giant Boca Juniors, 1-0, in fron...

Leave it to the folks at Nike to put together a perfect commercial to get fans ready for the World Cup (complete with a cameo from Tim Howard and Landon Donovan). Enjoy: Even more excited for the World Cup? It's just three weeks away.

We soccer fans need to stop being such indignant whiners. We can never be pleased. When there's not enough soccer on Sportcenter, we complain about it (rightfully so). But, when ESPN makes a funny and clever soccer commercial, we complain about that, too. Enough whining. ESPN is doing something for soccer. This is a good ad. Embrace it.

U.S. national team striker Jozy Altidore is back in the United States as he gets ready for the upcoming pre-World Cup training camp. He found some time to shoot a commercial for ESPN, a commercial he unveiled on Twitter. Enjoy: Altidore is in the New York area this weekend and will be sign...

Score one for internet rumors - this is the shirt that's been circulating on various sites for a few months now.
I like the shirt okay...I don't love it. Maybe it'll grow on me; I hated the old shirt the first time I saw it, but now I kind of like it.

The U.S. men's national team's home jersey for the 2010 World Cup was unveiled this morning. Here it is. What do you think of the jersey? Like it? Miss the old one? Already ordered it? Share your thoughts below.

Good for Gomez, but I still hope we have better options for the World Cup. A few good months in Mexico (actually, how good were those months? Those goals were fine, but not spectacular. How did he play in the rest of the game?) doesn't make me forget seven years of mediocrity in MLS.
That being said, if Ching and Davies can't go, then maybe we should take him. I mean, he's competing against Findley, Cunningham, Casey, and Buddle. None of those options have shown consistent quality.

Herculez Gomez left Major League Soccer last winter in search of a new challenge, as well as a chance for a fresh start after some disappointing seasons in MLS. He arrived in Mexico hoping for success, but even he couldn't have expected what would happen next. Gomez joined Puebla FC and promp...

The voting options should really be:
- Charlie Davies in a wheelchair
- 4-6-0
- Any Brazilians want a green card real fast?
- Hey, I'm 1/16 Dutch...go orange!
I wonder how many of the people voting for Herculez Gomez have watched him play a full game for Puebla. I would wager it's less than 10%.

The race to fill the remaining roster spots at forward for the U.S. World Cup team is about as wide open as you could imagine and with Brian Ching suffering a hamstring injury, and Robbie Findley starting out on the bench for Real Salt Lake last night, you have to wonder just who is leading t...

I don't really see how his skill set - athletic player vs. technical player - makes any difference. I'm also not judging the teams around him. I'm judging a player whom I've seen play 25 or 30 times, whom is 27 years old, and whom never at any point struck me as national team caliber.
If Steve Lenhart scores six goals in the next four games - many of them unimpressive tap-ins - are we all going to start clamoring for him to get a national team call up? Sample size, people. Sample size.

There isn't a more in-form American striker in the world right now than Herculez Gomez, something that hasn't gone unnoticed by U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley. Gomez told his club's website that he has had contact with Bradley during his recent goal-scoring binge (seven goals in 1...

There isn't a more in-form American striker in the world right now than Herculez Gomez, something that hasn't gone unnoticed by U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley. Gomez told his club's website that he has had contact with Bradley during his recent goal-scoring binge (seven goals in 1...

I wouldn't say he "doesn't fit", I'd just say that he's not good enough. I mean, we saw him play for years and years in MLS and he never struck me as someone who was good enough to play for the national team. I hope that two good months in Mexico aren't enough to trick Bob into taking him.
Jeff Cunningham scored a ton of goals at the end of last season, and when he was called in to the national team...not so good. Sometimes goals just come in bunches - it doesn't always mean that the player has stepped up his game or that he can replicate that success on the national team level.
I'm a Mariners fan. One year Willie Bloomquist hit .455 in the last two weeks of the season and then we stuck with the guy for the next three years.

There isn't a more in-form American striker in the world right now than Herculez Gomez, something that hasn't gone unnoticed by U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley. Gomez told his club's website that he has had contact with Bradley during his recent goal-scoring binge (seven goals in 1...

Clint Dempsey sat through most of Fulham's thrilling victory against Juventus, but the American star came off the bench to provide the most important goal of the day. Dempsey scored a dream long-range chip shot goal in the 82nd minute to give Fulham a 4-1 victory and 5-4 aggregate series vict...

Clint Dempsey sat through most of Fulham's thrilling victory against Juventus, but the American star came off the bench to provide the most important goal of the day. Dempsey scored a dream long-range chip shot goal in the 82nd minute to give Fulham a 4-1 victory and 5-4 aggregate series vict...

What do you make of the fact that Bradley often lines up the national team with Donovan on the left and Dempsey on the right? I mean - why those sides? Donovan is the better crosser of the ball, and Dempsey is better cutting inside and shooting. Dempsey almost always plays on the left for Fulham and says that he likes it there. Assuming these are our two wingers, isn't putting Dempsey on the left and Donovan on the right a no-brainer?

Good afternoon everybody. It's time for another SBI Live Q&A. With the MLS labor battle coming to a boil, and European soccer at its peak, there is plenty to discuss today before the final two Champions League pre-quarterfinals are decided between Barcelona and Stuttgart, and Bordeaux and Olympi...

I disagree. When healthy and in form, Jones is the best central midfielder in our pool, and significantly better than Clark, Edu, Torres, or Feilhaber.
I think all this talk of chemistry is a little ridiculous - Torres, Holden, Rodgers, Goodson, and all of the fourth striker candidates (Johnson, Cunningham, Findley) were barely involved in qualifying, and yet nobody worries about taking them along. Donovan and Beasley played huge roles with the 2002 team in spite of the fact that they had barely been involved prior to the WC. Three players - Onyewu, Cherundolo, and possibly Davies - might make the roster in spite of having not played with the team for roughly 8 months when camp begins. The full roster will play exactly one game in 2010 (the Netherlands game last week) prior to camp being called in May. Chemistry is nice, but always difficult to achieve on a national team. As long as Jones can prove that he's 1) Healthy and in form, 2) Not clubhouse poison, he should go.
Regis didn't poison the clubhouse in 1998; Harkes did. And Sampson didn't help. And Lalas has never been known to shy away from an argument. For God's sake: we were playing a 3-6-1 with Brian Maisonneuve starting in central midfield. David Regis was the least of our problems.
And to all of you debating not taking a third 'keeper: three 'keepers is a FIFA requirement. You cannot replace the third 'keeper with a field player.

The Columbus Crew looked primed for a blowout loss after falling behind 2-0 to Toluca in CONCACAF Champions League action, but the MLS power climbed off the mat and sent yet another Mexican team away from Crew Stadium without a win. Missing several key players due to injury and suspension, th...

I'm not too high on Beasley. Sure, he was an excellent player in 2005, but he hasn't shown much since then, aside from one good month for Rangers. I actually thought he was pretty poor in this game - bad touch, dispossessed too easilty, all the same things that have dogged his game for years. His work rate was good and his service on the goal was nice, but that's about it.
If we do have to put Beasley on the field, for the love of God please put him on the left. I cannot imagine why Bradley (or Arena before him) would ever put him on the right. He is one of the most one-footed players I've ever seen, and you don't want him trying to cut inside and shoot - his shot from distance is terrible.

Photo by ISIphotos.com There was plenty of ugliness, but some promising moments for the U.S. national team in its 2-1 loss to the Netherlands. The Dutch midfield dominated, its wingers showed up great speed and moves and the Americans struggled to find many of their own chances in the first...

By AVI CREDITOR The double-whammy that is the red card/penalty kick may be no more. FIFA has submitted an item for the International Football Associations Board to review that would downgrade a red card to a yellow on a foul that denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the box. Instead...

By AVI CREDITOR The double-whammy that is the red card/penalty kick may be no more. FIFA has submitted an item for the International Football Associations Board to review that would downgrade a red card to a yellow on a foul that denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the box. Instead...

Bet you didn't know Landon Donovan was so popular at Everton, did you? Okay, so the picture isn't of English Everton fans who have already fallen in love with Donovan, but actually of some American fans who made the trip (along with the Liverpool-born, Everton-loving father of one of them) t...